Twisted Mansion
by Joliet113
Summary: Small one-shot based on a personal interpretation of the events leading up to Luigi's Mansion. Mario decides to explore the strange mansion ahead of his brother, but it seems the ghosts there have been expecting him...


So my bro won this mansion, right? I guess he won it in some contest, one that he never even entered. Naturally, this sounded fishy to me, so I told him I would go on ahead and scout out the place a bit before he checked it out for himself.

Boy, what a mistake _that_ was. The thing looked pretty old; probably been around for a century or so. It looked like your stereotypical haunted mansion: creepy gravestones in the front, spooky noises coming from the inside, the whole shebang. But that stuff doesn't scare me. I decided it'd be smart to clear out any potential ghosts before Luigi got there. I didn't want him getting scared of his own mansion.

See, the thing was, I _thought_ I could handle it. I can handle pretty much anything. But there was something different about this mansion. Something _evil._ The ghosts vanished into hiding the second I walked through the front doors with my flashlight in hand. I was prepared for them to pop out at any given moment (they obviously like to stick to the element of surprise), but nothing happened. Even as I walked through the foyer and up the stairs, I didn't hear a single noise.

"M-Mario...?"

I started and whipped around at the sound of my brother's voice. I don't think I ever heard him come in. Almost as if for added effect, lightning flashed through the windows and cast Luigi's shadow across the floor; the loud crack of thunder causing him to jump up in fright.

"I'm right here," I told him as I went back downstairs. He didn't even bring a flashlight, so I handed him mine just to make him feel safe.

"This... uhh... wasn't really what I had in mind." He rubbed the back of his neck and let out one of his signature nervous chuckles. "But I guess it's mine now, so we might as well explore it. Right, bro?"

Luigi... _wanting_ to explore a haunted mansion? Now that was just unheard of! But hey, sometimes he can gain a sudden burst of courage out of nowhere, so it wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility. I smiled and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Right. Let's-a go!"

Normally, I'm the one always calling the shots. But this time, Luigi was choosing which way to go... not like he knew the place any better than me. Most of the doors were unlocked, so we were able to peek inside the rooms and get an idea of what the mansion looked like. It seemed kinda weird to me that he was always the one opening the doors, though. It was almost like he wouldn't let me.

Even after all this time, not a single ghost showed its face. I knew the place was haunted from the moment I saw it, so they were obviously hiding for a reason. My first thought was that they were just scared of us, as they should be - since no one messes with the Mario Bros. _Especially_ if we're together.

But... as time passed (or maybe it didn't - the clocks on the walls all stayed the same), I noticed that Luigi had gradually become quieter and a bit distant. I told myself it was probably just his fear starting to catch up to him again, and that it wouldn't be long before he'd run to me for a hug, crying about how scared he is.

That didn't happen. He silently led me into another random room and closed the door behind us. I felt a slight chill shoot up my spine when I heard the lock click in place. His hand was still resting on the doorknob, and his eyes seemed to have darkened.

"Huh? Luigi...?" I waved a hand at the door. "What is this? What are you doing?"

A cryptic smile stretched across his face and he leaned his head back. When he opened his mouth, it sounded like a group of voices talking at once.

"Hee-hee! You fell for it!" he sang. I swear I almost felt my heart jump into my throat at that point. Before I knew it, an army of Boos appeared out of thin air and surrounded me in seconds; their fangs bared and glistening with venomous saliva. Luigi disappeared in a plume of purple smoke, proving that he was only an illusion that I was dumb enough to fall for. I must've had a really amusing expression stuck on my face, because the Boos just kept laughing while they circled around me.

I couldn't let it bother me, though. I had to deal with these idiot ghosts. So I put up my fists, letting them know I was more than ready for a fight. And yet, they _still_ laughed at me.

"You can't win!" they taunted, their shrill voices making my ears ring. "We're stronger as a group!"

"Yeah!"

"We'll prove it to you!"


End file.
